What products do you like that are cheaper but taste great when you are trying to be frugal?

[Imeldainthemustardcoat]

For example: we just bought a big jar of Best In Instant Hot Chocolate and I thought it might be a bit naff, but it is one of the nicest I have bought...

Over to you, share with me you frugal indulgences, whether you buy or bake them or hand make them or whatever.........

Sainsburys smart price tea bags. Still not told dh we have them after 3 years.

My DC prefer Tesco and Sainsbury's basic jam to the more expensive brands.

I bulk out spaghetti bolognaise with frozen peppers and mushrooms and then any left-overs I make into my own hand-made ravioli. I tend to do ravioli as it's quicker and less time consuming than tortellini.

Home-made pasta like this tastes a million times better than the expensive variety of these you buy in the supermarket. I freeze big batches on foil trays and then transfer them into freezer bags, that way they don't all stick together in the bag

Tescos value biscuits taste the same to me as brand names.

Any supermarket value jaffa cakes.

All value/basics biscuits are fine, as are staples like chopped tomatoes and I never buy spaghetti other than 20 value. I also like Tesco value peanut butter and the garlic bread is fine. I also rather like the value mushy peas, actually I love them 16p (they were 2p for a long time so I feel a bit ripped off!) also, value rice krispie things to make chocolate cakes, oh and the mustard is fine too.

I like loads of the waitrose essentials stuff. Peanut butter, porridge oats etc.

I make lemon curd jam tarts when im frugaling, I always forget how nice they taste.

Aldi instant gravy - Quixo. Nicer than Bisto.

Oh yeah the Quixo is lovely I was really surprised when I tried it I had horrible Tesco gravey once and thought only branded must be nice but the Aldi one was really nice.

Aldi tomato sauce and mayo.
So much better than Heinz and hellmans.
Ditto their gravy and stuffing mix.
Their choc is also lovely.

Lidl chocolate bars - they do a really good imitation of Milky Way bars, mini mars bars, and now I've discovered their version of a twix! They are so like the real think I think I'd struggle to tell the difference.

Lidll mayo and mustard is lovely. I also buy the smart price pasta and no one can tell the difference. I also like aldi' s passages and their box of plain couscous

Forgot the lidll jaffa cakes, much nicer than mcvities, branded ones seem too sweet?

Passatta not passages!

Value salted cashew nuts are good. I always hide the packaging!

Also like 14p sanitary towels. ..they feel comforting, like the sort I had when I was 13 lol

But the sanitary towels are obviously not for eating. ...just reread thread title

Aldi multi seed loaves. Best there is imo. I love Aldi. I didn't realise how much until I popped in to Tesco today purely because it was on my route home and nearly fainted at the checkout with the price

Tesco value biscuits are lovely.

Aldi cereals for the dc.

Aldi Carlos 4 cheese pizza - £1 and lovely!!!

I use those cheap sanitary towels. I don't see why branded ones are so pricey.

It's not like anyone knows what you use at the end of the day. Plus it bugs the life out of me that there's vat on them at 5%?.

What's the alternative to using San pro? Letting run down my legs for 4 days?

Tesco Multi-grain Hoops taste better than Cheerios to me, and quite a bit cheaper, if you can get over the awful pictures on the box, they're actually a grown-up (not too sweet) taste.

Any product will do here, but I only make one cafetiere of ground coffee per day, using half and leaving half for later, when I add a small amount (cold) to instant, which much improves the taste of whatever you're using at no cost.

TESCO everyday value stock cubes, 20p x 8, no different to knorr.
Lidl Maribel jam 50% fruit is yummy big strawberry bits.
Aldi ex mature welsh cheddar - like cathedral city but half price.
Any salted butter that's less than £1 a pack, asda do a nice smart price one

Tesco value stilton - tangy and creamy - yum, I shall buy some at Christmas for the cheeseboard and no one will know, along with the value wholegrain crackers we are slightly addicted to.

I genuinely love Sainsbury's Basics Peanut Butter, it's only about 52p a jar.

Used to buy the Basics tinned toms but I bought Cirio on offer and now I can't go back, they are the best I've tried.

I did read somewhere that all butter is the same, like paracetemol. But I do notice the difference on toast (even though I'm overweight and should be having low fat marg )